Gloria Adrigeri Alfiero, 86, passed away peacefully Saturday, January 14, 2017 at her home in Scarborough. She was born on January 1, 1931 in Saco. She attended Thornton Academy.
Gloria met her husband and great love, Benjamin Alfiero, at a dance in South Portland. They married on January 9, 1949, and from then on Ben always called Gloria “his girl.” Her husband was the co-founder and owner of Harbor Fish Market in Portland. Gloria offered a lot of positive support and helped run the company’s branch store in North Deering. The couple had three “boys,” Nick, Ben and Mike, all of whom joined the family business.
Gloria’s greatest focus was her family. A devoted mother, she raised her children in their home on Roberts Street in Portland, where she nurtured them and watched them attend Nathan Clifford, King Jr. and Portland High School before they started their college careers and then went on to work for the family business. Gloria never missed a baseball game, football game or Boy Scout meeting, and was a Cub Scout den mother.
In the 1960s, Gloria owned and operated her own business, Gloria’s Card Shop on Stevens Avenue, which became a Deering neighborhood favorite. After closing her shop, she worked for Benoit’s on Monument Square, and later became the store’s women’s clothing buyer. While at Benoit’s, she transformed the women’s department and brought it in a new, dynamic direction.
With a keen eye for fashion and design, she then opened her own clothing store with her daughter-in-law Robyn. Alfiero’s Clothing, which opened on Congress Street in the early 1980s and later moved to Exchange Street, helped transform the Old Port along with other notable clothing stores. Gloria’s store had a dedicated following until she retired in the early 1990s. Throughout her career, she made many buying trips to New York.
Her impeccable style and grace was matched by her ability to cook great food. An incredible natural cook, Gloria had the skill to make even the simplest of meals a gourmet event. Her family raved about her signature dishes such as her red sauce and meatballs, baked artichokes and stuffed mushrooms. Through her cooking she passed along the love of great food to her family.
She loved to travel with her husband, children and grandchildren, especially to Las Vegas and Florida. In the 1990s she made a memorable trip to Italy where she reconnected with her brother Fioravante and his family, and visited her father’s childhood home for the first time.
She cared for her husband of 59 years throughout his life and his illness until he passed away in 2008. Gloria lived her final years in Promenade East in Portland, Ocean View in Falmouth and Bellavita in Scarborough. Her loving relationships with her sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren only grew stronger over the years, and visiting with her infant great-granddaughter brought her great joy in the last few months of her life.
Gloria is survived by her son Nick Alfiero and his wife Kathleen, of Scarborough; her son Mike Alfiero and his wife Linda, of Cape Elizabeth; her daughter-in-law Robyn, of Scarborough; her grandson Rian Alfiero, of Scarborough; her granddaughter Rachel Alfiero, of Cape Elizabeth; her granddaughter Gabrielle Alfiero and her husband, Peter Strangfeld, of Cape Elizabeth; her great-granddaughter, Ada Alfiero-Strangfeld; and her brother-in-law Dick Stephens and his wife Linda, of Oregon. She was predeceased by her husband Benjamin Alfiero, Sr. and her son, Benjamin Alfiero. She was also predeceased by her father, Adriano Adrigeri, her brother, Andrew Adrigeri, and her sisters, Theresa Jones and Florence Henderson.
Gloria’s family would like to thank Dr. James Zeitlin, the caring staff at Bellavita, the hospice nurses from the VNA, and in particular her loving caregiver Joleen Haffenreffer, who spent countless hours with her.
Relatives and friends are invited for a time of visitation from 4 to 7 PM Friday January 20. 2017 at Jones Rich & Barnes Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday January 21, 2017 at 11AM at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, Federal St, Portland. Interment will be private. For further information and to send a tribute in Gloria’s memory please visit www.jonesrichandbarnes.com.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in her memory to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD. 21741-5014 or the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, Stroudwater Street, Westbrook, ME. 04092
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